Street-car



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. V. LEE.

STREET GAR.

180. 334,591. Patented-Ja n. 19, 1 86 N PETERS, Pholo-Lilhogmphor, Washington. D. C,

(No Model!) 7 2 Shets-Sheet 2. A. V. LEE.

7 STREET GAB. No. 334,591. Patented Jan. 19, 1886.

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PATENT ()FFIcE.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STREET-CAR.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,591, dated January 19. 1886.

Application filed December 7, 1883. Serial No. 113,882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. VIRGIL LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-ars and Ihereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My improvement relates to the class of street cars which are capable of being converted into open cars for use during the Warm season, and into closed cars for use during the remainder of the year.

It is the object of my invention to provide a car the interior of which as an open car shall be accessible both at the ends and sides,

and only at the ends when closed, and that shall be easily convertible from an open to a closed car, or vice Versa, when desired. 7

To this end my invention consists in the construction hereinafter set forth and claimed. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved car, showing the sides attached, one of which is partly broken away to represent the car as it appears as an open car. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. I, viewed in the direction of the arrow-heads, representing a car provided with my improvements.

The car represented in the drawingsis constructed in its general features in the manner of the open cars now in common use on streetrailways-that is to say, it is rendered open at the sides by supportingthe roof A upon vertical posts B, secured at their lower ends at the sides of the seats 0, as shown. The extremit ies of the car are not left open, as is commonly the case with open cars, but are provided each with a permanent end formed of the parts D and D, each of which contains a window, 1;, capable of being opened and closed by lowering and raising. 'A sliding door, E,

operates at each end of the car to slide into one or the other of the parts D and D, and is provided with a window, u, capable of being lowered and raised like the windows '0, and coinciding with one of the latter when the door shall be opened into a part D or D, as the case may be.

The object of the construction just described is to afford means whereby the car may be rendered completely open to permit the cir- (No model.)

culation of air through it, when desired, by opening the door E- and lowering the windows 1; and u,and whereby it may be as readily closed at the ends, and thereby afford a protection from'rain and wind in case of asudden change in the weather. The permanent ends D and D serve, also, to form a closed car when used in connection with my improvement, hereinafter to be described, for inclosing the sides.

F F are timbers, which extend on each side alongthe full length of the car. These timbers project laterally from underneath the car, and are cut away longitudinally toward their 6 upper and inner edges, as shown at n, to form supports for the ends of the flooring, the remainder of the upper sides lying flush with the upper surface of the flooring and projecting laterally therefrom. 7

The purpose of the lateral projection of the timbers F is to provide supports for thejsides G, which are of the necessary width to inclose the open space existing at the sides of the car between the timbers F and the facia-boards s. 7 A longitudinal groove, 1", is provided in the upper sides of the timbers F, to receive the lower edges of the sides G, and strips q, in the shape of angle-irons,are provided to lie along the under sides of the usual projections, 19, to receive and retain the upper edges of the sides G. Stops t are detachablysecured to the timbers F F. The sides G, which are provided with windows and made to conform to the shape requisite to give to an open car when closed thereby the appearance of an ordinary closed car, and to bear against the posts B, may be made in one or more sections, and are adjustable from either end by being inserted between the grooves r and strips p and pushed forward. It madein two or more sections,the parts may be joined together by dowel, heading, or other suit-able joints, and weather-stripping may be applied to seal the cracks. Means other than the groove r and strip 19-- such as bolts and nuts, &c., applied to the lower margins of the sides or to both the upper and lower margins-may be used to secure them in position; but I prefer to adjust the sides in the manner described and shown. The seats 0, provided with reversible backs, are placed in two rows, one at each side of the car, and lie transversely to its length, an aisle, H, being formed between them,

IOU

As at present constructed, open cars are generally provided with eight transverse seats,- each of which will accommodate five passengers.

The longitudinal seats in closed cars accommodate comfortably ten people each. The seats of my improved car, in two rows ofeight each, will accommodate two passengers in each seat, thus providing seating capacity for thirty-two people-a difference of eight seats in favorof the old form of open car; but tlieholding capacity of my improved car is greater than that of the old form, since more than eight passengers can find standing-room in the aisle. \Vhen closed,myimproved car will seat thirty-two passengers, while the old form of closed car will seat but twenty.

In the foregoing approximation the seating capacity has been given of street-cars of the most usual construction. Any increase in the length of the cars of course increases their relative capacities for seats and passengers accordingly.

It will readily be seen that great advantage is attained by the arrangement above described, since passengers have access to the interior ofthe car, when open, both at the sides and ends, and may gain or leave their seats without being obliged to pass before others occnpying the same seat, and the conductor can pass through the car instead of around it.

As already explained, the arrangement of the interior of the car when closed presents no inconvenience to passengers, while, on the other hand, the advantages gained over the ordinary t'orm are very great. Of course side curtains may be provided for the open cars,to be used in the ordinary way when occasion demands.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In combination with a convertible car having the seats 0 placed in rows transversely to the length ofthe car and arranged to form an aisle between the said rows, ends D and D, containing windows 11 and doors E, having windows a, the strips q. timbers F, provided with grooves, and sides G, supported by the timbers F and strips q, and provided with windows, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

A. VlR-GIL LEE.

In presence of- DOUGLAS DYRENFORTH, G. O. LINTHICUM. 

